In recent decades academics have attempted to demonstrate that the periodbetween late medieval and high renaissance was not the barren culturalwasteland which previous generations of literary critics deemed it to be.Medievalists have become more forward-looking: no longer taking Chaucer asa boundary beyond which they cannot venture and identifying many ongoinghistorical, literary and religious traditions which unite their era withthe one that follows. â€˜Early modernistsâ€™ have begun to question the termâ€˜renaissanceâ€™ (with its associations of value and teleology) in order toenvision the period of artistic achievement as one which began long beforethe emergence of Shakespeare.

â€˜Continuitiesâ€™ seeks to tap into this general movement towards synthesisand co-operation between medievalists and early modernists by calling uponthe future generation of critics (postgraduates) to present papers whichemphasise these literary linkages and which continue to interrogate thenotion of a discernible â€˜breakâ€™ between the two eras.

The conference organisers especially welcome papers on the followingsubjects: the afterlives of medieval texts (editions, translations,receptions); texts and authors of the fifteenth century; the rediscoveryand rehabilitation of forgotten or maligned texts/authors fl. 1400-1550;developing world views and travel narratives; surviving traditions (theliturgical year and parish life, mysteries, yule plays and moralities); theappropriation and transformation of medieval texts, genres and literary models.

Those whose work focuses on the later early modern period are welcome tosubmit papers dealing with earlier sources and analogues for â€˜renaissanceâ€™texts; early modern conceptualizations of the (medieval) past;historiography and history plays; fictional constructions of the past;memory and cultural heritage in literature; tradition and innovation;interrogating the terms â€˜medievalâ€™/â€˜renaissanceâ€™/â€˜early modernâ€™; therenaissance â€˜canonâ€™.

Papers are required to be no more than 20 minutes in length. 150-wordabstracts should be sent to the conference organisers (Darragh Greene,Emily Oâ€™Brien and Kate Roddy) at continuitiesconference_at_gmail.com by Friday3rd April 2009. Further information available at the conference blog:http://continuitiesconference.blogspot.com.